It’s that time of year for hearty, cold weather comfort food. You know soups, stews and chilis ALL full of meats, beans and veggies that are slow cooked together until the meat simply falls apart. Slow cooking is perfect for tougher cuts of meat.
SLOW COOKER PORK & BLACK BEAN STEW
2 – 15 ounce cans black beans, drained and rinsed
1 ½ pounds boneless pork shoulder roast, cut into chunks
1/2 cup WONDRA or AP flour
1/2 – 1 pound ground pork sausage
12 ounces dark beer Guinness or Homemade beef stock
1 LARGE Vidalia onion, chopped
1 red bell pepper, seeded and diced
1 SMALL jalapeño, seeded and diced (optional)
2-4 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon dried oregano
FRESH ground sea salt and black pepper
2 tablespoons avocado oil
Tortillas for serving
- Lightly spray or grease the inside of a 4-6 quart (medium) slow cooker.
- In a ziploc bag mix together the flour and seasonings.
- Add pork pieces and coat well.
- Remove pork pieces, shaking off excess flour, but reserving remaining flour.
- In a large skillet heat avocado oil over medium heat.
- Add pork pieces and sear, stirring frequently until browned.
- Transfer pork pieces to slow cooker.
- Add broth and remaining flour to skillet whisking to form a roux.
- Transfer the roux to the slow cooker.
- Add pork sausage, onion and minced garlic to skillet, cooking and stirring until sausage is crumbly and cooked through.
- Add red bell pepper, stirring 2 minutes more until softened.
- Transfer to slow cooker stirring it all together until blended.
- Fold in the black beans, beer and jalapeno if using.
- Cover and cook for 7-8 hours on low or 3-4 hours on high.
- Serve with garnishes of lime, diced green onion, sour cream, diced tomatoes, and cilantro with warm tortillas on the side.
GARNISHES
Lime wedges
Diced green onions
Sour cream
Diced plum tomatoes
Chopped cilantro
NOTE:
- If you prefer cook the pork as a single piece and then shred just before serving. Return the shredded pork to the slow cooker and stir well. Cover and cook for an additional 30 minutes.
- The stew can easily be made ahead and stores well in the refrigerator and reheats easily when ready to serve. Add a little water or broth as necessary to get it back to the original consistency.
- Also freezes well.